The Republic of Somaliland and the Republic of Seychelles, together taking into consideration development in international prisoner transfer arrangements, in order to encourage the social rehabilitation of sentenced persons by giving them the opportunity to complete their detention in their own countries or a country which is relevant to their religion and culture, for this purpose the two states entered A MOU in 2011 to transfer Somali Pirates to serve their remaining sentence in Hargeisa Maximum Security Prison.
Here after, The Minister of Justice of Republic of Somaliland order the release of 7 pirates who served their sentence term in Hargeisa Maxium Security Prison (Each of the inmate sentenced 10 years in Seychelles Supreme Court and transferred Hargeisa, on December 2012).
In according article 21 (1) of Somaliland Transfer of Prisoner law (Law No. 53/2012), where a prisoner is serving a sentence in Somaliland consequent upon a transfer, the Minister of Justice, on the advice of the Attorney General, order that the prisoner can no longer be held in custody when he/she took his/her sentence term.
Somaliland government, particularly the Ministry of Justice and Custodial Corps transferred these 7 men to their countries. Two of them were released from the prison in March 13, 2017 and they transferred back to Mugadisho. The 5 remaining inmates were released on March 27, 2017. Three of these inmates were transferred to Mogadishu, and others are from Puntland, Gorowe. All the inmates arrived their hometowns safely, because Ministry of Justice and Custodial Corps paid the transferred fund of these inmates to make sure that they arrive their homes safely and with good manner.
The Pirates in Hargeisa Prison got rehabilitation programs, particularly vocational trainings, psycho-counseling. Somaliland Correctional Service System gives the main effort with little help of International organization, to equip the transferred Pirates with sustainable knowledge and skills which they can reintegrate their society.
Hon. Ahmed Farah Adar
Minister of Justice, Republic of Somaliland
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Ibrahim Khadar Saed
Director of Prisons and Human Rights Department
Ministry of Justice & Judiciary Affairs
Hargeisa Somaliland
Tel: +252-63-4404084
+252-63-424924
Email: ibraahimkhs@hotmail.com
